1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus (e.g., television set, computer, etc.) which is capable of performing speech recognition.
2. Description of the Related Art
Speech recognition technology for recognizing speech of a user can be used in various devices such as car navigation. Speech recognition allows a user to enter an input selected from a plurality of selection items by speaking a corresponding word only once. As a result, the number of user operable buttons or other user input steps required for operating a device can be reduced. However, speech recognition has problems such as misrecognition, or that a device using speech recognition cannot be operated when a user does not remember the recognition vocabulary.
To solve such problems, speech recognition is often used together with operation performed on a graphical user interface (GUI) using buttons and screen, thus realizing user-friendliness in a device operation. An example of such a method is discussed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-171492. Further, for example, a method is devised in which a user is presented with a list of speech recognition commands, and the user can select a recognition command from the list through a GUI. FIG. 12 illustrates a speech recognition apparatus displaying a list of recognition commands.
In FIG. 12, a list 1201 is a list of speech recognition commands. A focus 1202 selects an item from the list 1201. When a user presses a predetermined button in the speech recognition apparatus, the speech recognition apparatus displays the list 1201 illustrated in FIG. 12. The user moves the focus 1202 by, for example, pressing a button, and the user can select the desired recognition command and execute the command.
However, in a case where a user wants to consecutively execute a plurality of commands, it may not be appropriate either to select recognition commands by using speech recognition, or to select recognition commands from a list as described above. For example, when a user selects a moving image, still image, or music, from a plurality of contents, it is preferable to sequentially select and confirm each of the contents before selecting the desired content. In such a case, it is burdensome for a user to pronounce each of contents. On the other hand, in a case where a user selects an item from among a list, many operations are required, such as displaying the list, moving the focus, and executing the recognition command. Consequently, it is difficult to consecutively execute a plurality of recognition commands.
Therefore, it is desirable that an information processing apparatus includes a method which allows a user to sequentially select recognition commands by a single operation. In such a method, recognition commands can be consecutively selected and confirmed by a single operation, which complements selection of a desired recognition command by speech recognition. Furthermore, it is desirable to relate the sequential selection of recognition commands and the speech recognition operation to each other, so that a user can intuitively understand the relation between the two operations. This can be realized by, for example, performing the two operations using the same button.